Liverpool have got January off to a cracking start – and it isn’t even January.
On Wednesday evening, the Reds confirmed that they had signed Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.
With Liverpool reportedly paying £37 million, well this is one hell of a bargain by Jurgen Klopp and his colleagues.
Gakpo has joined the Anfield outfit as a left-sided attacker but, if one Sky Sports reporter is correct, Klopp has an exciting plan in store for the big Dutchman.
According to Vinny O’Connor, the Liverpool manager is planning to utilise Gakpo’s versatility and play him anywhere across the front three – including up front.
He said to Sky Sports on Thursday: “Jurgen Klopp regards Cody Gakpo as a multi-functional attacking player who’s more than capable of filling any of the roles across the front three. The club also believes that this signing will also enhance the emerging talent that they’ve already got, so Liverpool are happy to have got their man.”
This is exciting for a number of reasons.
Firstly, Mohamed Salah isn’t going to be around forever and having someone to play on the right when he’s struggling, and when Luis Diaz is fit again, is going to be a massive plus.
But also, Liverpool are going to need support through the middle quite a lot, too.
Yes, Klopp has £85 million Darwin Nunez available to him, but the South American’s last two games indicate that it could be a while before he truly adapts to life in English football, following wasteful performances against Manchester City and Aston Villa.
And having someone like Gakpo – who stands at 6’4 – to provide a plan-b option up front could be huge for the Merseysiders.
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